Mental Health First Aid - Basic
Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash
Course Objectives
In the MHFA course, you will gain a solid understanding of the 5 basic actions of ALGEE:
Assess the risk of suicide and/or harm
Listen non-judgmentally
Give reassurance
Encourage professional support
Encourage other supports
ALGEE is the framework for having a confident conversation about mental health with family, friends, colleagues, and strangers.
Key outcomes
International evaluations and feedback have found the following outcomes for participants undertaking an MHFA course:
Increased awareness of signs and symptoms of the most common mental health problems
Decreased stigma related to mental health
Increased confidence interacting with individuals experiencing a mental health problem or crisis
Increased help actually provided to individuals in crisis or experiencing a mental health problem
Crisis first aid skills learned
Substance overdose
Suicidal behaviour
Panic attack
Acute stress reaction
Psychotic episode
Topics
1. Mental Health and Stigma
What is Mental Health First Aid?
Common mental health problems
Five basic actions of mental health first aid
Stigma and discrimination
2. Substance-related disorders
What is a substance-related disorder?
Signs and symptoms
Risk factors
MHFA for substance-related problems
Crisis first aid for overdose
Treatment and resources
3. Mood-related disorders
What is a mood-related disorder?
Types of mood-related disorders
Signs and symptoms
Risk factors
Substance use and mood disorders
Suicide in Canada
MHFA for mood-related problems
Reasons for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)
MHFA for non-suicidal self-injury
Treatment and resources
4. Anxiety and trauma-related disorders
disorders?
Types of anxiety and trauma related disorders
Signs and symptoms
Risk factors
Substance use and anxiety related disorders
MHFA for anxiety and trauma related problems
Crisis first aid for panic attacks
Crisis first aid for acute stress reactions
Treatment and resources
5. Psychotic disorders
What is a psychotic disorder?
Types of psychotic disorders
Signs and symptoms
Risk factors
Substance use and psychotic disorders
MHFA for anxiety problems
Crisis first aid for psychotic episodes